Apply for NYC Middle School Admissions in January 2022

Mark your calendars: the NYC Middle School Application is about to open.

During the week of January 10, 2022, the NYC middle school application will open to families. Available for City students who are in their last year of elementary school (grades 5 or 6), the middle school application provides families with their best chance of getting their children into their schools of choice.

Most students apply to City middle schools during their fifth grade year. NYC middle schools welcome and serve all of the following:

• Current NYC public school students (district and charter schools);
• Private or parochial school students;
• Students with disabilities (in accordance with child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP));
• Students with accessibility needs;
• Multilingual learners;
• Immigrant families;
• Students in temporary housing; and
• LGBTQ and gender-noncomforming students.

Prepare for Middle School Admissions

As we wait for the start of the 2022 middle school application period in January, we’ve made it easy for families to begin preparing today:

Review Your Welcome Letter and Access Your MySchools Account

Personalized welcome letters are in the mail to families of all current fifth-grade NYC public school students (district and charter schools). This letter includes information regarding how to access your child’s MySchools account, which you will use to explore your middle school options and to apply for middle school once the application opens in January 2022.

You can also get a copy of your welcome letter from your current school counselor. If you are a private or parochial school family, you can request your child’s welcome letter from a Family Welcome Center.

Use MySchools to Explore Your Middle School Options

MySchools provides families with an outstanding way to discover and learn more about each of the City’s middle schools. Simply log into your MySchools account, and begin your search—your account will already include all the programs that your child can apply to as options. You can also save programs of interest to your MySchools “Favorites” list by simply clicking the star icon next to each school’s name.

Gather Additional Information about Your Favorite Schools

As you search your child’s middle school options on MySchools, you’ll notice that each school’s MySchools page also includes a direct link to their main website—check out each of your favorite program’s main websites to learn even more information about that school. Some school websites even offer additional information regarding in-person and virtual open houses for prospective families. In addition, school websites provide contact information that families can use for specific questions or concerns—please use this information as needed to learn more about your potential school options.

Updates to Keep in Mind for 2022 Middle School Admissions

• • The DOE will not use students’ academic records to make admissions decisions for students entering middle school in fall 2022. For middle schools with more applicants than seats, offers this year will be made using admissions priorities and random selection.

• • Arts-based middle school programs will resume holding auditions this year. More information about these auditions will be available soon on these programs’ websites and on our Middle Schools webpage.

• • The deadline to submit your middle school application will be during the week of February 28, 2022. We will provide further details in the coming weeks.

Want to Learn More?

Visit our official Middle School webpage for the latest admissions updates and links, and watch our “Applying to Middle School? Welcome!” video embedded above from our Middle School Admissions Video Series. You may also sign up for our middle school admissions email list and review a PDF of our 2022 NYC Public Schools Admissions Guide for an overview of all DOE admissions processes.

Remember: the NYC middle school application will open the week of January 10, 2022, so mark your calendars and start making a list of your favorite programs today!

On behalf of the DOE, we wish all of our incoming middle school families a smooth application process in 2022!

Banner photo by Olia Danilevich. Used under Creative Commons license. Original can be found on Pexels.